The State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) is a national program that provides health insurance to families that do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford to purchase health insurance.
On Febraury 4, 2009, President Obama signed the SCHIP bill into law, an act which will hopefully expand medical coverage to 4.1 billion children.
2007 Veto
George W. Bush vetoed the 2007 bill to expand funding for SCHIP from $5 billion per year to $12 billion. The President had the goal to increase the budget by only 20% or find the extra funding through other methods.CNN: Bush: Congress Has Work to Do
References
Fast Facts
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Created in 1997
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Signed into law by President Barack Obama on Febraury 4, 2009
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Also covers children of illegal immigrants as soon as their parents reach U.S., compared to originally planned waiting period of 5 years
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Sponsored by Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch
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Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate passed an expansion of the SCHIP in 2007
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October 3, 2007
President Bush vetoes the original measure
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Between October 3rd and 18th, Democrats launched a grassroots television and radio publicity campaign to persuade fifteen Republicans to cross party lines to override the veto
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October 18, 2007
